HÀ NỘI — A collection of 111 photographs of legendary Vietnamese General Võ Nguyên Giáp has been donated to the Việt Nam National Archives Centre III by military photographer, colonel Trần Hồng.

The photos, taken during 32 years, from 1986 to 2018, portraits the General and his daily activities. The gift is to celebrate the 111th birthday of the military genius (25/8/1911-25/8/2022).

Among the outstanding images is a shot entitled Nhớ Bác (In Memory of Uncle Hồ) which depicts General Giáp standing by a statue of President Hồ. Another features Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez who paid a visit to General Giáp at his house on August 1, 2006, and gave the talented general a special version of a precious sword. The moment when the General doing meditation also was captured through the camera lens of colonel Trần Hồng.

Some of the photos of General Võ Nguyên Giáp been donated to the Việt Nam National Archives Centre III. — VNA/VNS Photos Minh Thu

Born in 1947 in the central province of Hà Tĩnh, colonel Trần Hồng used to be a photojournalist at the People’s Army newspaper.

During his career, Hồng took thousands of photos depicting the frontline soldiers, and the heroic mothers in the rear. However, all above, Hồng is the photographer who took the most beautiful and fascinating images of General Giáp’s daily life. So far, he has more than 2,000 photos of the talented Commander-in-Chief.

Director of the Việt Nam National Archives Centre III Trần Việt Hoa and photographer, colonel Trần Hồng at the presentation ceremony in Hà Nội on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Thu

“Vietnamese heroic mothers and General Võ Nguyên Giáp are two main subjects that I have pursued throughout my life," he said.

"To date, many photos of these topics have been given to places which can promote their value the most."

Speaking at the presenting ceremony, Director of the Việt Nam National Archives Centre III Trần Việt Hoa said: “With the advantages of modern storage equipment, the photo documents of General Võ Nguyên Giáp granted by colonel Trần Hồng will be safely preserved and promoted effectively, studying the life and career of the General”. — VNS